Nothing worked for me but a year of or so of telling myself that I had to quit. Just like telling myself I had stop certain behaviours. I have been quit this time for about 3 or 4 years. Made it 6 years once.

At least I know that if I ever smoke that first cigarette, I will be back to a pack a day within hours. That is how I stay quit. Never smoke that one cigarette, no matter how bad I want to, or feel I control my addiction. It is the same with every other negatice behaviour.

"YOU CAN'T HAVE JUST ONE!!!!"

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"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers

Good luck to all the smokers trying to quit. Good advice here. I was like some of you guys who got started early. I was eight and inhaling like a champ, eh, chump.I tried several times to quit, but the thing that did it for me, was when my, then, 4 year old daughter, who had just climbed up onto my lap as I held a cigarette. She had just come from her evening bath and her long, silky hair smelled so good. She turned to me and said, "Daddy when are you going to put that yucky thing out?"Out of the mouths of babes, I thought.That was 32 years ago, and I know if I hadn't quit, I would have been dead long ago.Keep trying, guys. Most physicians can recommend a good hypnotherapist, and the other methods of that Welthingy drug and Nicorette stuff, anything, go for it. The thought process that Danny mentions ain't bad either, use them all.Just don't gain the weight that I did. I'm finally getting a handle on that, now. Looking forward to lowered blood pressure and reduced need for blood sugar meds.Geez, and then deal with the abuse issues, too.Holy, moley what next?Good luck to us all.

David

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"No soul is desolate as long as there is a human being for whom it can feel trust and reverence."George Eliot

sabookaMemberMaleSurvivor
Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 209
Loc: I would like to know also

I was a smoker also. I gave it up 4 years ago. I gave it up cold turkey. I gave it up because I was starting my training as an acupuncture and decided that touching people with my hands smelling of smoke was not a good way to help people heal.

Since then I have done a workshop on hoe to help people quit smoking. Below I am giving the ideas that they showed us.

1. Most smoking is a reflex and not because we really need the nicotine. It is a safety mechanism. It is the first thing we do when we feel a little unsafe. So the first thing is to make it harder to get to the cigarettes. So, trying putting four elastic bands around your pack. This way to smoke you have to take each one off. This gives you more time to think about whether you really want the smoke or not. Also keep the lighter or matches in a different place than your smokes.

2. it is important to understand why we smoke. What are the reasons we light up. So, keep a diary of how you were feeling before you light up. Every cigarette you smoke you should write it in a journal along with what you were doing just before and any emotions that you were feeling when you lit up.

Once you have done these two techniques for two weeks you can start to see any patterns you have concerning smoking. What emotions trigger you to light up. And what actions make you feel insecure.

With this information you can start reducing you smoking and the stressful emotions that cause the smoking together. It is a process and it has to be your decision to stop. I have found that people who follow this come to one of 2 decisions. 1) they give up smoking because they see why the needed to smoke and reduced those problems

or

2) they decide that giving up smoking would be too hard.

Remember that the chemical dependency of smoking last for about one week. After that it is all mental. If you can prepare your self for the mental and emotional problems attached to giving up smoking you have a better chance of succeeding.

Good luck too all of you and if you need any more info feel free to pm me.

Jonathan

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My happiness is not dependant on other people's misery.

I didn't see the hypnotherapist in the end, but I did see one advertised in our local paper who claimed he could stop a roomful of smokers smoking all at the same time - for a considerable amount of money of course.

But I'm down to one cigar during the evening now, with no real cravings during the day.I enjoy that one smoke though, and that's going to be the hard one.

Dave

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Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.Henry David Thoreau

Interesting post and new forum I also smoke cigars and pipes sometimes it might be linked to how I feel and what my thoughts are right now still smoking 12 packs of cigars in a weeks time not including the pipe.I might just consider writing a journal of how I feel and what is causing the feelings or thoughts at the time I light up.

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Eye of tiger stares down perp,tiger teeth rips perp to shredsto be abused kills the soulto survive is to live the ultimate punishment

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